Dissuade Someone From Doing vs. Dissuade Someone To Do
Cambridge records dissuade someone from something or from doing something for persuading a person not to do an action. This guide covers the complement after dissuade. Other infinitives elsewhere in a larger sentence can have different grammatical functions.
Use “dissuade someone from doing” when you mean persuade someone not to take an action. “Dissuade someone to do” is not the parallel direct action complement.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| someone is persuaded not to perform an action | dissuade someone from doing something | Use from + -ing for the documented action complement. |
| someone is persuaded away from a thing or plan expressed as a noun | dissuade someone from + noun / noun phrase | Use the noun phrase after “from.” |
| a to-infinitive is proposed as the direct action complement | do not use dissuade someone to do | The direct action pattern is “from doing,” not an interchangeable to-infinitive. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does the complement name the action you are trying to stop the person from taking?
If yes: Use “dissuade someone from doing …”.
If no: If the complement is a noun, use “from + noun”; do not substitute a to-infinitive for the action pattern.
Caveat: Choose by the documented meaning or construction; a different pattern may be valid in a different sentence structure, region, or register.
Examples
We tried to dissuade them from leaving early.
The action being discouraged follows “from” in -ing form.
Her adviser dissuaded her from signing immediately.
The action complement is “from signing.”
The warning dissuaded several visitors from entering the closed area.
The sentence names the action they were persuaded not to take.
Further guidance
Boundary
This guide covers the complement after dissuade. Other infinitives elsewhere in a larger sentence can have different grammatical functions.
Construction
Cambridge records dissuade someone from something or from doing something for persuading a person not to do an action.
Decision
Use “dissuade someone from doing” when you mean persuade someone not to take an action. “Dissuade someone to do” is not the parallel direct action complement.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- dissuade from — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Dictionary evidence for dissuade someone from something or doing something